Youth Group
Encyclopedia
Youth Group are a rock band
based in Newtown
, Sydney
, Australia
signed to Ivy League Records
.
joined in 2004.
Principal songwriter Toby Martin is the grandson of Hungarian-born Australian poet David Martin. Founding bass player Andrew Dymock Cassell retired from bass duties in 2003 to concentrate on being one of three partners in Ivy League Records
and Winterman & Goldstein band management, Youth Group's Australian record label and management respectively. He is a relative of Australian Test cricketer Geoff Dymock
. Founding guitarist Paul Murphy left the band in 2003 due to creative differences. Cameron Emerson-Elliott played guitar with Sydney punkers John Reed Club in the late 90s and has known Toby since their school days in Canberra, at Narrabundah College, when they wrote songs together as The Morris Brothers. Patrick Matthews
played bass in The Vines
before joining Youth Group. Versatile Sydney musician Johnno Lattin (also of La Huva) played bass in the band during the Skeleton Jar
period around 2003. Danny also plays guitar amongst the revolving line-up of Sydney garage rock outfit, The City Lights.
Built around the pure vocals of Martin and clean production of Wayne Connolly, the sound of Youth Group is reminiscent of indie rock
artists such as Teenage Fanclub
, Pavement
and Death Cab For Cutie
. All members' taste in music contributed enormously to their organic indie rock (with a twist of country) sound. However it is Martin's insightful and empathetic lyrics which distinguish Youth Group from comparable bands. On Skeleton Jar in particular, Toby's vignettes were based around the emotional dynamics of his characters.
Martin relocated to Sydney from Canberra in 1996 and Youth Group formed shortly afterward. Their first show was in November 1997 at the Warren View Hotel in the inner Sydney suburb of Enmore. Remarkably, Danny had only been playing drums for a couple of months. Their first album Urban & Eastern was released in 2000. While the band always had a dedicated following in the inner cities of Sydney
and Melbourne
, and frequently supported major acts like Elliott Smith and The Strokes, their sales career was unremarkable. They met success when a series of chance happenings lead Epitaph Records
boss Brett Gurewitz
to hear their second album, Skeleton Jar
in 2004 and release it in the U.S. in 2005. Despite sounding nothing like the California
punk that Epitaph is widely known for, the support of a US label was the crucial break that Youth Group needed to find a wider audience. In 2003 the band played at the South by Southwest
festival in Austin, Texas
and performed on 4 dates with The Vines
and The Music on a US West Coast tour. But it was a chance to support Death Cab for Cutie
in 2005 on a coast to coast US tour that saw their profile rise most quickly internationally.
Their single "Forever Young", a cover of the song by Alphaville
, was used in the television show The O.C.
and heavily featured in promos for Australian TV station Channel Ten at the beginning of 2006. The song debuted on the Australian charts at #2 in March 2006, and eventually peaked at #1. It was also #1 in the first ever digital download chart. During 2006, they supported Coldplay
in their sold-out tour of Australia
.
In July 2006 the band released their third album, Casino Twilight Dogs
, which features "Forever Young", along with the album's second single, "Catching & Killing". As of 24 July 2006, Casino Twilight Dogs debuted at no. 10 in the ARIA
Album Charts.
They supported the Kings Of Leon
and Interpol
on their 2008 tours of Australia
.
There is a widely-circulated theory in the music community that the band name Youth Group is a clever twist on the name of the Scottish indie rock band Teenage Fanclub
, whom vocalist Toby Martin has cited as a major musical influence during his childhood.
Youth Group won a 2006 ARIA award
for "Breakthrough Single" for "Forever Young
".
In 2007, the song "Daisy Chains" was featured on the CW show "One Tree Hill
" episode 4.16 "You Call it Madness, but I Call it Love".
In 2011, the song "Forever Young" was featured on the series finale of the ABC show "Greek
".
They released their fourth album The Night Is Ours
in July 2008 through Ivy League
in Australia and in April 2009 on Worlds Fair Records in the US. The song "What is A Life" from The Night Is Ours
was featured on The CW
show Gossip Girl
episode "The Bonfire of the Vanity".
Youth Group toured the US twice in 2009 before moving into an extended break. Though the band are still on good terms, they are focusing on other projects. Martin will release a solo album in 2012 on Ivy League Records. Drummer Danny currently lives in New York and tours with We Are Scientists
as their fill-in drummer.
In 2011 Skeleton Jar
made #98 on Australian radio station Triple J
's Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time (Industry List).
From Urban & Eastern:
From Skeleton Jar:
From Casino Twilight Dogs:
From The Night Is Ours:
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
based in Newtown
Newtown, New South Wales
Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Marrickville Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
signed to Ivy League Records
Ivy League Records
For other uses of the term Ivy League see Ivy League Ivy League Records is a record label based in Sydney, Australia.Associated with the music management company Winterman & Goldstein and Ivy League Music publishing, Ivy League is the creation of Cameron Emerson-Elliot , Peter Lusty and James Roden...
.
Biography
Youth Group formed in Sydney in the late 1990s. They have released four albums in Australia, with the three most recent albums also gaining releases worldwide. The founding members of the band were Toby Martin on rhythm guitar and vocals, Danny Lee Allen on drums, Andy Cassell on bass guitar, and Paul Murphy on lead guitar. Current lead guitarist Cameron Emerson-Elliott and bassist Patrick MatthewsPatrick Matthews
Patrick Matthews is the former bassist of Australian garage rock band The Vines and currently the bassist of Youth Group. Matthews founded The Vines with Craig Nicholls. The two met while working at McDonald's in Sydney. Matthews stayed with the band for two albums...
joined in 2004.
Principal songwriter Toby Martin is the grandson of Hungarian-born Australian poet David Martin. Founding bass player Andrew Dymock Cassell retired from bass duties in 2003 to concentrate on being one of three partners in Ivy League Records
Ivy League Records
For other uses of the term Ivy League see Ivy League Ivy League Records is a record label based in Sydney, Australia.Associated with the music management company Winterman & Goldstein and Ivy League Music publishing, Ivy League is the creation of Cameron Emerson-Elliot , Peter Lusty and James Roden...
and Winterman & Goldstein band management, Youth Group's Australian record label and management respectively. He is a relative of Australian Test cricketer Geoff Dymock
Geoff Dymock
Geoffrey Dymock is a former Australian and Queensland cricketer. He played in 21 Tests and 15 One Day Internationals between 1974 and 1980. He was the third bowler to dismiss all eleven opposition players in a test match, and remains one of only six players to have achieved this unusual...
. Founding guitarist Paul Murphy left the band in 2003 due to creative differences. Cameron Emerson-Elliott played guitar with Sydney punkers John Reed Club in the late 90s and has known Toby since their school days in Canberra, at Narrabundah College, when they wrote songs together as The Morris Brothers. Patrick Matthews
Patrick Matthews
Patrick Matthews is the former bassist of Australian garage rock band The Vines and currently the bassist of Youth Group. Matthews founded The Vines with Craig Nicholls. The two met while working at McDonald's in Sydney. Matthews stayed with the band for two albums...
played bass in The Vines
The Vines
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Special:LandingCheck?landing_page=L11_1121_WMUK_Jimmy_DDOptimised&utm_medium=sitenotice&utm_campaign=C11_1121_WMUK_DDvOneOff&utm_source=B11_1121_WMUK_Jimmy&language=en&country=GB...
before joining Youth Group. Versatile Sydney musician Johnno Lattin (also of La Huva) played bass in the band during the Skeleton Jar
Skeleton Jar
-Notes:* The song removed on the 2005 release, "Rosie and the Sea," is present on the band's "Shadowland" single.* The song "Someone Else's Dream" on the 2005 release was later issued on the band's "Forever Young" single in February 2006.-External links:...
period around 2003. Danny also plays guitar amongst the revolving line-up of Sydney garage rock outfit, The City Lights.
Built around the pure vocals of Martin and clean production of Wayne Connolly, the sound of Youth Group is reminiscent of indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
artists such as Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub are an alternative rock band from Bellshill, Scotland. The band is composed of Norman Blake , Raymond McGinley , Gerard Love and Francis MacDonald , with songwriting duties shared equally among Blake, McGinley and Love...
, Pavement
Pavement (band)
Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
and Death Cab For Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
. All members' taste in music contributed enormously to their organic indie rock (with a twist of country) sound. However it is Martin's insightful and empathetic lyrics which distinguish Youth Group from comparable bands. On Skeleton Jar in particular, Toby's vignettes were based around the emotional dynamics of his characters.
Martin relocated to Sydney from Canberra in 1996 and Youth Group formed shortly afterward. Their first show was in November 1997 at the Warren View Hotel in the inner Sydney suburb of Enmore. Remarkably, Danny had only been playing drums for a couple of months. Their first album Urban & Eastern was released in 2000. While the band always had a dedicated following in the inner cities of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, and frequently supported major acts like Elliott Smith and The Strokes, their sales career was unremarkable. They met success when a series of chance happenings lead Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
boss Brett Gurewitz
Brett Gurewitz
Brett W. Gurewitz , nicknamed Mr. Brett, is the guitarist and a songwriter of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and sister-labels ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records...
to hear their second album, Skeleton Jar
Skeleton Jar
-Notes:* The song removed on the 2005 release, "Rosie and the Sea," is present on the band's "Shadowland" single.* The song "Someone Else's Dream" on the 2005 release was later issued on the band's "Forever Young" single in February 2006.-External links:...
in 2004 and release it in the U.S. in 2005. Despite sounding nothing like the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
punk that Epitaph is widely known for, the support of a US label was the crucial break that Youth Group needed to find a wider audience. In 2003 the band played at the South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
festival in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
and performed on 4 dates with The Vines
The Vines
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Special:LandingCheck?landing_page=L11_1121_WMUK_Jimmy_DDOptimised&utm_medium=sitenotice&utm_campaign=C11_1121_WMUK_DDvOneOff&utm_source=B11_1121_WMUK_Jimmy&language=en&country=GB...
and The Music on a US West Coast tour. But it was a chance to support Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
in 2005 on a coast to coast US tour that saw their profile rise most quickly internationally.
Their single "Forever Young", a cover of the song by Alphaville
Alphaville (band)
Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold , Bernhard Lloyd , and Frank Mertens Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold (real name Hartwig Schierbaum,...
, was used in the television show The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
and heavily featured in promos for Australian TV station Channel Ten at the beginning of 2006. The song debuted on the Australian charts at #2 in March 2006, and eventually peaked at #1. It was also #1 in the first ever digital download chart. During 2006, they supported Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
in their sold-out tour of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
In July 2006 the band released their third album, Casino Twilight Dogs
Casino Twilight Dogs
-Singles:* "Forever Young" # "Forever Young" – 4:33# "Someone Else's Dream" – 2:36# "Forever Young" – 3:26* "Catching & Killing" # "Catching & Killing" – 3:04# "Late Last Night" – 3:17...
, which features "Forever Young", along with the album's second single, "Catching & Killing". As of 24 July 2006, Casino Twilight Dogs debuted at no. 10 in the ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
Album Charts.
They supported the Kings Of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
and Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
on their 2008 tours of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
There is a widely-circulated theory in the music community that the band name Youth Group is a clever twist on the name of the Scottish indie rock band Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub are an alternative rock band from Bellshill, Scotland. The band is composed of Norman Blake , Raymond McGinley , Gerard Love and Francis MacDonald , with songwriting duties shared equally among Blake, McGinley and Love...
, whom vocalist Toby Martin has cited as a major musical influence during his childhood.
Youth Group won a 2006 ARIA award
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
for "Breakthrough Single" for "Forever Young
Forever Young (Alphaville song)
"Forever Young" is the title track from German rock/synthpop group Alphaville's 1984 debut album of the same name. Though it was not the group's highest-charting European hit and failed to reach the American Top 40 despite three separate U.S...
".
In 2007, the song "Daisy Chains" was featured on the CW show "One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
" episode 4.16 "You Call it Madness, but I Call it Love".
In 2011, the song "Forever Young" was featured on the series finale of the ABC show "Greek
Greek (TV series)
Greek is an American comedy-drama television series, which follows students of the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University , located in Ohio, who participate in the school's Greek system...
".
They released their fourth album The Night Is Ours
The Night Is Ours
The Night Is Ours is the fourth studio album by Australian indie rock band Youth Group, released in Australia on 30 June 2008 via Ivy League Records, and in the US on 7 April 2009 via World's Fair Records...
in July 2008 through Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
in Australia and in April 2009 on Worlds Fair Records in the US. The song "What is A Life" from The Night Is Ours
The Night Is Ours
The Night Is Ours is the fourth studio album by Australian indie rock band Youth Group, released in Australia on 30 June 2008 via Ivy League Records, and in the US on 7 April 2009 via World's Fair Records...
was featured on The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
show Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...
episode "The Bonfire of the Vanity".
Youth Group toured the US twice in 2009 before moving into an extended break. Though the band are still on good terms, they are focusing on other projects. Martin will release a solo album in 2012 on Ivy League Records. Drummer Danny currently lives in New York and tours with We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists is a New York-based indie rock band that formed in Berkeley, California in 2000. Originally formed of Keith Murray on drums, Chris Cain playing bass guitar and Scott Lamb providing vocals and guitar, before Michael Tapper became drummer and Keith became vocalist and guitarist...
as their fill-in drummer.
In 2011 Skeleton Jar
Skeleton Jar
-Notes:* The song removed on the 2005 release, "Rosie and the Sea," is present on the band's "Shadowland" single.* The song "Someone Else's Dream" on the 2005 release was later issued on the band's "Forever Young" single in February 2006.-External links:...
made #98 on Australian radio station Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time (Industry List).
Albums
- Urban & Eastern (14 May 2001; Re-Release 17 July 2006) (IVLCD019; Re-Release IVY044)
- Skeleton JarSkeleton Jar-Notes:* The song removed on the 2005 release, "Rosie and the Sea," is present on the band's "Shadowland" single.* The song "Someone Else's Dream" on the 2005 release was later issued on the band's "Forever Young" single in February 2006.-External links:...
(22 March 2004; Re-Release 25 July 2005) (IVY025; Re-Release IVY037) - Casino Twilight DogsCasino Twilight Dogs-Singles:* "Forever Young" # "Forever Young" – 4:33# "Someone Else's Dream" – 2:36# "Forever Young" – 3:26* "Catching & Killing" # "Catching & Killing" – 3:04# "Late Last Night" – 3:17...
(17 July 2006) (IVY043; Limited Edition IVY042) #10 AUS - The Night Is OursThe Night Is OursThe Night Is Ours is the fourth studio album by Australian indie rock band Youth Group, released in Australia on 30 June 2008 via Ivy League Records, and in the US on 7 April 2009 via World's Fair Records...
(30 June 2008) (IVY064) #66 AUS
Singles
Early singles:- "Weekender" (November 1998) (004IVLSPCD)
- "Weekender"
- "Bitter and Heartbroken"
- "Trouble for Skinhead"
- "Country Tour" (February 1999) (006IVLSPCD)
- "Country Tour"
- "There's Only One Way to Say 'I Love You'"
- "Spry Griever"
- "Country Tour" (Unabridged)
- "We are Mean" (August 1999) (IVL5009633)
- "We are Mean" - 2:54
- "Polo" - 3:20
- "Spender & Casey" - 2:27
- "Interface" (November 1999) (IVL50114)
- "Interface"
- "Favourite Thing"
- "Ladies of the Renaissance"
From Urban & Eastern:
- "Happiness' Border" (July 2000) (IVLCS015)
- "Happiness' Border"
- "12:35 and I've Missed My Stop"
- "The Graduate"
- "Marlon Brando "
- "Guilty" (February 2001) (IVLCS020)
- "Guilty"
- "How Will I Explain This to My Parents?"
From Skeleton Jar:
- "Shadowland" (November 2003) (IVY021)
- "Shadowland" - 3:36
- "Rosie and the Sea" - 3:01
- "For the Night" - 4:10
- "Waiting for a Bus" - 2:25
- "Baby Body" (2004)
From Casino Twilight Dogs:
- "Forever Young" (February 2006) (IVY041) #1 AUS (Platinum)
- "Catching & Killing" (August 2006) (IVY045) #44 AUS
- "Daisychains" (February 2007) (download only)
- "Sorry" (May 2007) (download only)
From The Night Is Ours:
- "Two Sides" (April 2008)
- "All This Will Pass" (September 2008)
- "In My Dreams" (December 2008)
Compilation appearances
- Music from the OC: Mix 5 (2005, Warner Bros.)
- Warped Tour 2005 Tour Compilation (2005)
- Punk-O-Rama 10 (2005)
- Coastal Chill 05 (2004)
Music videos
| Music video information |
|---|
Weekender
|
| Country Tour
Rage (TV program) Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still... ) |
| We are Mean
Rage (TV program) Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still... ) |
| Interface
Rage (TV program) Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still... ) |
| All This Will Pass
Rage (TV program) Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still... ) |